


our future must be present on the ice!

by Zelinxia



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: 2016 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, Friendship, Gen, POV Phichit Chulanont, Sad Katsuki Yuuri, but that doesn't stop him from rooting for his bestie, rare ships on ice 2017
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-17
Updated: 2017-07-17
Packaged: 2018-12-03 04:54:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11524959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zelinxia/pseuds/Zelinxia
Summary: Phichit wins bronze at 4CC with pride and happiness. Yuuri starts a video call from Detroit to congratulate him.





	our future must be present on the ice!

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Allekha](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Allekha/gifts).



> It's a fact Phichit recently won bronze at Four Continent Championships, which is super impressive because he hasn't landed quads before the current season in the anime! I felt like this was a good time to set the fic in to explore his and Yuuri's friendship and how they support each other's dreams. Hope you enjoy, Allekha!

Phichit stepped onto the ice the moment his name was announced. He was the third skater to go for Group 1, as he was currently in fourth place for men’s after the short program concluded two days ago. If he wanted to place on the podium, he would have to make his free skate as clean as possible. He had already gone over his jump changes for the second half with Ciao Ciao since he still hadn’t perfected a clean quad, and racking up points elsewhere could give him a boost.

At the center, he set into his starting pose: feet crossed, arms in second position, and head turned 45 degrees to the right with his chin tucked. “Rise of A Star” began, and skating along the notes played in strings and percussion, Phichit shared a story of someone with ambitions to reach for the stars and turning heads towards him left and right.

* * *

Thailand’s breakout men’s single skater and star was happy to say that he had nabbed bronze for the 2016 Four Continents Championship. He posed for media shoots with silver medalist Seung-gil Lee and gold medalist Cao Bin, engaged in interviews – where he happily said that now that he was making strong improvements, he hoped he could have next season’s theme be _The King and The Skater_ – and of course, recorded videos with many skaters for his next vlog. Seung-gil was reticent, fourth place Otabek Altin declined to be a part of 4CC vlog; but at least Cao was chipper and got involved in a flash mob dance with twenty other competitors across disciplines.

With one day of programs left before the exhibition gala and banquet, Phichit relaxed and explored Taipei with Leo. After eating hot food, taking an array of pictures and selfies, and window shopping, he retired to his hotel room and caught up on his SNS. Just as he hit the like button on one of Leo’s insta-posts for today, he received a Line notification with a message from Yuuri.

**_Are you busy?_ **

It was currently almost six at night, meaning it was only about five in the morning back in Detroit. Five in the morning was not unusually early for him nor for many other skaters their rank, but for Yuuri who was not a morning person at all, nor did he currently need to rise so soon, Phichit could not help but be engulfed with waves of concern.

_Nope just got back from dinner with Leo. You’re up early! You ok?_

Yuuri then chose to send an invite for a video call. Phichit tapped the accept button, and soon Yuuri popped up on his screen. His hair was messy and there were eyebags. He was on his laptop in the kitchen of the athlete’s dormitory, with a steamed mug of tea in his hands. They waved hello to each other.

“Mmm, couldn’t really sleep. But I caught up on the free skate and saw you won bronze. Congrats!”

“Ohhhh.” Phichit scrambled for his luggage, where he took out his glorious bronze medal to show it off to Yuuri. “Thank you thank you!”

Yuuri smiled. “Does that mean Celestino will let you skate to The King and The Skater?”

“I hope so!”

He stirred his mug restlessly. “Wow, you’re getting closer to reaching your dreams.”

“Mhmmm.”

Normally Phichit would launch onto other topics when they chatted, but Yuuri dropped eye contact. Both parties remained quiet, and he gave his friend this moment of silence.

Yuuri sighed. “Sorry I couldn’t go with you to Taipei. I would have, but…”

“Yuuri, it’s ok.” He smiled when Yuuri sighed again in relief. “I know you have school. Just keep cheering me on, or else.”

“Hah, what do you take me for?” Yuuri gulped down the rest of his tea, then dumped it in the sink nearby. “Ahh, sorry, I need to go. I want to…”

He shrugged at his duffel bag he had just picked up from the floor where Phichit would not have been able to see it. Seeing Team Japan’s logo on it, Phichit understood where his friend wanted to go at five in the morning, and he nodded.

“Okay. But don’t push yourself, sleepyhead.”

Yuuri muttered something, and Phichit could barely hear him saying “body is tough.” Because as much as Yuuri tried to defy his current limits during practice, earning some scolding from Ciao Ciao, his body was ridiculously resilient and tough. Phichit could testify as a witness. Yuuri had slammed on the ice or boards before, and only walked away with a bloody nose. Their rinkmates were always in awe and terrified of Yuuri’s body of steel and super-stamina.

They said their goodbyes, and Yuuri ended the call.

This wasn’t the first time Yuuri snuck out to their facilities for a private skate session. Well, it wasn’t really something forbidden. But Yuuri was cautious, and had trusted Phichit not to tell Ciao Ciao he was still using the spare keys to access the rink without having to rely on their coach. After knowing Yuuri for nearly five years, he knew his friend had the compulsion to skate whenever anxiety was gnawing at him. That, or work on his ballet repertoire, but the ice rink was more accessible than the dance studio they trained at. Of course, Phichit wanted to tag along sometimes, or wanted to ask if Yuuri was secretly working on something cool. Yet he knew to give Yuuri space, especially when he has been depressed since the GPF at Sochi, and had seen for himself Yuuri’s spark for the ice diminishing. If he kept trying to push through, Yuuri would withdraw from him, and that would be no good for him. Past experiences had taught him that, back when he was not as familiar and in tune with Yuuri’s sensitivity and needs.

Yuuri had always told him not to worry, and that he could work things out through his body, and it was true. He hoped Yuuri could find the answers he needed as he had some time for the rest of the season to think of his next steps. Yuuri was still grieving. He just needed time. And that was why Phichit did not tell him what he really hoped Yuuri could do for him when he had apologized for not being able to fly to Taiwan to watch him compete at the 4CC in person. What he would have said, teasingly, was that all that he asked was to have Yuuri compete with him at the next Grand Prix Finals.

It had been his lifelong dream to skate to songs from The King and The Skater. He was that much closer to fulfilling it. And with his third place winning even though he did not have quads in his programs, he could chase the next part of his dream in skating to the musical at the Grand Prix Finals. The last part though, the cherry on the top, so to speak, was to compete alongside Yuuri. Of course, Yuuri was aware of his dreams to compete with his best friend at the GPF, and skate to the best musical series of all time. He had shared it many times, and Yuuri was his number one supporter. Phichit just couldn’t say it on their video chat, because he didn’t want to pressure Yuuri when he was already dealing with insomnia and anxiety.

Nothing could stop Phichit Chulanont from representing his beautiful country and skate to the popular musical that was set in Thailand, setting new heights as the first Thai skater to showcase it at an all-international event. He wanted to show the world how splendid figure skating is, just like the titular skater in the movies – because he was born to perform.

Yet, this dream could not be complete if Yuuri was not there on the ice as well.

* * *

One and a half months later, a week after the Worlds concluded, Phichit moved back to Bangkok with Ciao Ciao following. When he was walking on the busy streets where the Imperial World was situated, Phichit received a Line text from Leo, who was practically screaming over some video that Phichit must see now.

His jaws dropped as he watched Yuuri confidently skate Viktor Nikiforov’s gold medal winning choreography from this passing season. So _this_ was what his friend had been up to in his private skating sessions this whole time! There was no audio – meaning Yuuri had the program down to the bones – and the only other sounds he could hear besides the soft blades were a woman squealing and excited, hushed whispers of children. (Who were they? They recorded so smoothly. He commended them on their viral video schemes.)

“Yuuri!” he chirped. Phichit equally texted his screams back to Leo, then opened the chat window with Yuuri and sent all the exclamation marks and emojis.

_I hope Viktor sees this. ;D_

Not too long after that, Yuuri Katsuki broke his silence from the Internet, and had declared he will work hard to win gold at the Grand Prix Finals with the support of Viktor as his coach(!)

Phichit pumped his fists in the air. Yuuri was back! He himself had just begun working with his choreographer for “Shall We Skate”. Life was good.

Oh, and he must see Viktor in person and thank him.


End file.
